Wild at Heart
by PennyLane411
Summary: A girl just drifting through life, desperate to escape her family's drama. A mysterious rebel with nothing to lose. What happens when their lives become inexplicably intertwined? Do opposites really atract, or is that simply a myth? Edward/Bella.


**A/N: Hey guys, I've been lurking around for years now, but this is my first official story. I've loved reading all your work and I hope you enjoy what I've come up with! I'd love any reviews and feedback. **

The humidity hung heavily in the mid-August air as I sighed and leaned back on my elbows on the steps of the front porch of my house. I could feel the little beads of sweat collecting on my neck and chest as my long brown hair began clinging to my body.

_So much for spending an hour attempting to curl my hair to perfection _I thought bitterly before finally admitting defeat and using one of the several hair ties I kept around my wrist to pull it all back.

Just then there was another loud crash from inside the house, followed by loud muffled voices, no doubt uttering angry insults. My mom, Renee, must have smashed yet another breakable dish or decoration in her drunken rampage as my dad, Charlie, tried in vain to placate her.

It was always the same. About four or so days of the week, my mother would inevitably drink herself into a drunken stupor for no other reason than she detested the dull, suburban life she had built with me and my father. She would consume whatever she could get her hands on – vodka, gin, beer, and even sometimes pills she would trick her general practitioner in prescribing for her – until she could barely even function. Then she would fly off the handle at me or my dad for even so much as breathing too loudly around her. Dishes would be thrown against the wall, shattering to a million little pieces. Cuss words would screamed, albeit slurred so badly it was sometimes difficult to decipher which colorful insult she was even trying to direct at you.

But believe it or not, these were actually the good days. Because at least on these days, no matter how horrible her behavior got, she was at home, where my dad and I could at least keep an eye on her. The rest of the days she just tended to disappear, not even bothering to tell us what she was doing or who she was doing it with. It all eventually got back to us, however, with the town of Forks being so small and filled to the brim with gossip mongrels salivating for a new scandal revolving around Chief Swan's wife.

Yes, that's right. My father is the upstanding Chief of police here in this little podunk town in Washington. Yet he's married to a woman notorious for drinking well above the legal limit, trespassing on private property in her drunkenness, and constantly getting in bar fights with women who's biggest offenses were having bigger boobs than she did. Ironic, huh? I had long given up asking my dad why he didn't simply arrest my mother like he would have any other person who behaved this way. The way I saw it, maybe a night in a filthy jail cell would be a wake up call of sorts for my mother. But whenever I implored him, he would always just brush me off, saying I was too young to fully understand the situation. Which was complete bullshit, in my opinion. I understand completely. I know that the real reason he won't stand up to her is because he's afraid he'll finally push her over the edge and she'll go out one day and will never come back.

If I'm completely honest with myself, this wouldn't necessarily be the worst thing to ever happen. There would finally be peace and quiet around the house. No more drunken tantrums, no more waiting up till three in the morning waiting to hear the door open and my mother finally pouring herself into bed after a night of doing god-knows-what.

But I knew it would absolutely kill my dad. Because for some fucked up reason, he loves her. They'd been together since they were my age. They'd met in high school, dated, gotten pregnant with me when my dad was nineteen and my mom was eighteen and made the decision to settle down here in Forks, where they'd already spent their entire lives up until that point. Sometimes I wonder if they don't blame me for the life they have now. Who knows where they would have wound up if I hadn't come along. Maybe my mom would have gotten out of Forks, like she'd always dreamed of. Maybe my dad would have gone on to play college baseball, like he'd been all set to do before my mom broke the news of her pregnancy to him.

It's because of this that I cannot wait to get to hell out of here the day that I graduate from Forks High School. Only two more years to go. The day after tomorrow marks the beginning of my junior year, the most important academic year of my life thus far. If I want any academic scholarships for college, I really have to start buckling down now. No distractions whatsoever. I need to get far, far away from Forks, like the east coast. Or maybe further. I wonder what the colleges are like in Asia….

A loud honk pulls me out of reverie and I look up to see a yellow Volkswagen bug pulling up in front of my house, some Top 40 crap blaring loudly from the speakers. Despite the music that will inevitably make my ears bleed, I can't help but grin widely and all but skip across the damp grass to the car.

"Hey chickadee," my best friend Alice chirps as I climb into the front seat and buckle my seatbelt, "how you been?"

"You mean how have I been in the last hour since we talked on the phone and you convinced me to attend this stereotypical display of teenage debauchery with you?" I quipped, turning my head to take in her appearance. Ridiculously high stilettos, a short red mini dress that showed off a ton of leg and even more cleavage, and her short black hair styled to perfection. Only Alice could look like a model in an outfit that would have made any other girl, including myself, look like an absolute whore.

I sighed, glancing down at my own ensemble. Lowtop black conserves, worn in dark denim jeans and a plain white tank top. I was seriously beginning to regret agreeing to go to this end of summer party.

Alice, immune to my usual sarcastic demeanor, continued on. "Well, I for one have been looking forward to this party for weeks. The Hales' house is absolutely_ amazing._"

I scoffed. "Please, like you care about any aspect of that house besides the inside of Jasper's bedroom."

Alice huffed indignantly. "For your information, Bella, Jasper and I have a relationship based on more than just sex." She paused for a moment as we approached a stop sign. "But, you know, the sex is pretty amazing," she added, sending herself into a fit of giggles.

I grinned slightly, shaking my head as I turned to stare out the window. Alice had begun dating Jasper Hale, a guy in our grade at Forks High, towards the end of our sophomore year. The match-making had surprised me at first, since it was well known that Jasper liked to dabble in, shall we say, _herbal _extra-curricular activities. Alice had always said what a complete turnoff potheads were, but she fell for his southern charm and laid back style regardless, and the two had been inseparable ever since. After just a few months of dating, he and Alice lost it to each other in the back of his pick-up truck after Forks' annual Fourth of July bash down in La Push. Not exactly my idea of romance, but then again, Alice had never been conventional and I loved her for it. Besides, who was I to pass judgment on the topic of sex? The furthest I'd ever been with a guy was when I was forced into kissing Tyler Crowley during a game of spin-the-bottle the summer before freshman year.

Alice finally pulled up in front of the Hales' house. Wait, scratch that. The Hales' _mansion,_ where several kids from out school where milling around on the front lawn, eager to get trashed on the last night of the summer where they still had the morning after to nurse their inevitable hangovers. Alice and I made our way to the front door and into the house, where we made a beeline for the kitchen. Along the way, I noticed several guys checking out Alice's body as she strutted by. I suppressed a smile and shook my head. Poor fuckers. Didn't they realize they didn't stand an iceberg's chance in hell against the hotness that was Jasper Hale?

We finally made our way through the throng of horny and tipsy teenagers and into the kitchen where we found Jasper leaning against the counter, looking fantastic as always in his flip flops, ripped jeans and Johnny Cash t-shirt. His blonde hair was curly and disorderly as always, and his smile flashing brightly as he sipped from his red plastic cup. He was standing talking to his sister, Rosalie, and her boyfriend Emmett, who were both going to be seniors this year.

Rosalie and Emmett were easily two of the most popular and gorgeous people to ever grace the hallways of Forks High. If Forks were Hollywood, they would definitely be Brad Pitt and Angeline Jolie. Rosalie stood there in a pair of short black shorts that showed off her mile-long legs and tight blue designer top that showed off her ample chest. Her skin looked flawless and her long blonde hair fell down her back in perfect, silky waves. Apparently, she was immune to the brutal humidity of summertime in Forks, unlike myself. Emmett stood next to her with his arm wrapped around her, looking every bit the golden boy in his khaki shorts and navy blue polo that hugged his massive frame snuggly. He was very tan, no doubt having spent the better part of the summer doing strenuous football workouts outdoors.

"Hey babe!" Jasper exclaimed, noticing Alice walking into the room and immediately gravitating towards her. He wrapped her up into her arms and planted his lips on hers, kissing her for several moments as I stood there awkwardly with my hands shoved into the back pockets of my jeans. Finally, the duo broke apart and Jasper glanced over to me, grinning. "Hey Bells."

"Hey Jazz," I said, returning the smile. Despite being a little bit of a stoner, I'd always liked Jasper. He had great taste in music and had never been anything but nice to everyone around him.

Emmett took his arm off of Rosalie and made his way over to the counter which was littered with various bottles of all shapes and sizes, all containing various forms of liquor. After living with my mother for the past seventeen years, I could mostly likely identify all of them in my sleep. "You ladies want me to make you a drink?" he asked in his loud, booming voice.

"Sure, how bout a sex on the beach?" Alice replied, grinning seductively at Jasper, who returned it with a sexy smirk.

Emmett chucked, gathering up the ingredients. "You got it girl. What about you, Bella? You up for some sex?" He asked, laughing at his own joke. I glanced at Rosalie who merely rolled her eyes and began inspecting her nails.

I chuckled nervously. "No, I think I'll just have a beer. Is there a keg anywhere?"

"Out in the backyard," Rosalie responded, giving me a quick smile. Despite the fact that the majority of the female population of Forks High thought Rosalie was a total ice-queen bitch, she had always been relatively nice to me. Maybe she just had a soft spot for homely, nerdy underdogs who's families were constantly the subject of vicious gossip. Who knows.

"Thanks," I replied quietly, making my way through the sliding glass door toward the edge of the backyard where four kegs had been set up. I know there's all those statistics out there about every 1 in 2 children of alcoholics becoming alcoholics themselves, but I try not to buy into all that and allow my mom to ruin my life any more than she already has. Besides, the day after tomorrow marks the beginning of one of the most important years of my life. I think I'm allowed the cut loose a little, just this once. But I do make it a point to stay clear of the hard stuff. No liquor, no drugs, nada. Just beer and only beer.

Once I'd pumped myself a cold foamy beer into my red keg cup, I made my way back towards the door. But just as I was about to go inside I glanced through the glass and noticed the scene before me. Emmett had his arm wrapped tightly around Rosalie, and Jasper was doing the same with Alice. The four were laughing and looking happy being all couple-y. Not wanting to be the fifth wheel, I sighed and turned, surveying the Hales' massive backyard. Just a bunch of drunk girls standing around in way too short skirts and midriff baring tank tops, pretending to be annoyed by all the drunk boys making immature gestures and comments. I wasn't buying their act, though. They all loved the attention. Take Lauren Mallory, who was rolling her eyes at Mike Newton as he continually tried to grab her ass. She pretended that she didn't want his hand anywhere near her ass, but I knew that in less than a hour she was gonna have sex with him in one of the fifty bathrooms in this place. Like I'd told Alice before, stereotypical teenage debauchery.

Looking into the distance, I noticed a small pathway that led out to a small gazebo in the distance. I decided to head that way in order to clear my head for a few minutes. Once I'd gotten there, I sat down on the steps and took a long sip from my beer. This was better. As much as I loved my small group of friends, sometimes I just needed to be on my own.

But evidently, the universe hates me, because at that moment, I heard footsteps making their way towards the gazebo. I glanced up to see James Turner, the scum of all scum, making his way towards me. James graduated from Forks High four years ago, and instead of moving on, he continued schlepping around, crashing all the high school parties and hitting on any underage girl he set his sights on. The sad thing was, most of the time he was actually able to find a drunk and vulnerable girl to actually have sex with him, which did nothing to enlighten him to the fact that he was a pathetic loser.

"Hey there, gorgeous," he leered, his eyes on me as he got closer and closer. "I saw you heading out here all alone, and I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I'm sure you did, creep," I muttered, trying to remember all those self defense moves Charlie had taught me years ago.

"What was that?" James asked, narrowing his eyes slightly as he finally reached me. Once he had, I noticed that he reeked of alcohol. Great, just my luck. Stuck out here with a drunk, creepy twenty-something loser who preys on teenage girls.

"I just said that I'm gonna go get another drink," I lied, standing up to head back to the party, praying he would just let me go.

"Oh, no come on," James said, blocking my path. "I just got here. Besides, it's a nice night, under the stars, just you and me out here alone…" he trailed off suggestively.

Now I was starting to get pretty freaked out. "Yeah, but I should really be getting going," I said more aggressively.

"Come on beautiful, don't be like that," he said, reaching out to trail his finger up my arm.

I was about to do something, anything – scream or kick him in the balls or run – when a voice interrupted us.

"Can't get a woman your own age so you're going after the young and impressionable ones once again, huh Turner?"

I glanced up to see a familiar face standing a mere five feet away, a cigarette dangling out of the corner of his lips, bronze hair all disheveled, and deep emerald eyes narrowed dangerously in James's direction.

Edward Cullen was Fork's resident bad boy. And that was putting it nicely. He was notorious for drinking, drugging, womanizing, stealing, fighting, you name it. He'd hooked up in some manner with nearly every girl at Forks High more than once, not to mention (as it was rumored) some of their mothers and aunts as well. Anytime he was around he was obviously under the influence of something. He'd been suspended multiple times for various offenses. And don't even get me started on his run ins with the law. My dad absolutely despised this kid. Often times he refused to let me in on the details of what he'd busted Edward doing, but you could bet that anytime he came home from work in a bad mood, it was most likely in some way attributed to Edward. And he always somehow managed to get off with nothing more than a slap on the wrist. Probably because of the fact that he lived with his aunt and uncle, Esme and Carlisle Cullen. Carlisle was the most well-respected doctor in Forks, and Esme, his wife, was mayor of the town. Edward had moved in with them when he was in eighth grade and I was in seventh, and ever since then he had been causing trouble.

"What the hell do you want, Cullen?" James asked, clearly annoyed that this eighteen year old kid was messing with his plans.

"I need this space to conduct some business, _James_, so I suggest you find someplace else to play grab-ass with underage girls."

James huffed but turned to make his way down the path. "Fine," he said reaching out to grab my arm, "Let's go babe."

I quickly jerked away to avoid contact with him at the same time Edward spoke up. "Nah, I think Isabella's gonna hang out here for a while."

I looked up at him, confused, only to find him giving James a deadly glare. James was attempting to glare back, but compared to Edward, his was not nearly as threatening. "Whatever," he muttered under his breath, turning on his heel and stomping off down the narrow pathway. I watched him until he disappeared from our view before turning towards Edward. He was standing there looking completely calm, taking a drag from his cigarette as he stared off into space.

I stood there for a few moments, waiting for him to say something. Or, was I supposed to say something? What was the proper protocol in a situation like this? 'Oh thank you Mr. Town Screw-up for saving me from potentially getting raped by that sleaze but you'll have to excuse me now because my dad would shoot us both if he were to ever find out we were breathing the same air?' Somehow, I didn't thing that was the appropriate response. Luckily, Edward saved me from having to be the first one to say anything.

"You know Isabella, I gotta say I hadn't really pegged you as the type to give it up to James Turner at a kegger."

I felt my eyes widen immensely as I struggled to find the words to reply to him. What the hell, did he seriously think I was intentionally out here alone that creeper, hoping to get laid? And furthermore, how the hell did he even know my name, let alone what 'type' I was. He and I had never spoken two words to one another in the entire four years he'd lived in Forks. Of course I knew who he was, but then again, everyone did.

"I wasn't going to do anything with him," I finally managed to get out, "he just followed me out here. And what the hell do you mean 'give it up'? How would you know anything like that about me?"

Edward chuckled, dropping his finished cigarette to the ground and stamping it out with the sole of his black Nike tennis shoe. "I'm just kidding Isabella, I knew you weren't going give him the precious gift of your virginity. You're definitely more of a bed covered with roses and candles followed by hours of snuggling afterwards kinda girl." His green eyes shone with laughter as he said this, and I knew he was mocking me.

Now, I was pissed. "You don't know anything about me. How do you know I'm even a virgin, huh? I could have given it up to lacrosse captain years ago for all you know."

Edward scoffed and looked at me disbelieving. "Please, Isabella, guys talk. If someone had managed to break through that force field, it would be written all over the bathroom wall faster than you could get your size 34-B bra back on."

I fought the urge to projectile vomit at this statement and instead focused on something else. "Ok, forget my sexual status. How do you even know my name? You've lived in this town for years and never even uttered a word to me."

"Oh, we may never have been formally introduced, but I know you. In fact, your father and I go way back," he said smirking. "You're Isabella Swan. Rising junior at Forks High School, top of your class, co-editor of the school newspaper, and daughter of Forks' very own odd couple- the Chief of police and the town drunk." He paused for a moment before adding, "Oh, and notorious virgin."

During his little speech I was fuming and was ready to go off on him when another voice interrupted us.

"Cullen, my man." I looked up to see Jasper approaching us, an easygoing smile gracing his flawless features. "You made it. Got anything for me?"

Edward's eyes left mine and he turned towards Jasper pulling out a plastic baggie from the pocket of his worn in jeans. I wasn't exactly the savviest when it came to the world of narcotics, but I knew what that was – pot. "Right here, Hale."

"Thanks man," Jasper said appreciatively, taking the bag from Edward and handing him a wad of cash in return, which Edward stuffed into his pocket casually.

I rolled my eyes. Of course Edward was Jasper's dealer. Where else was he gonna get that stuff in this boring-as-fuck town?

Edward glanced at me, smirking devilishly. "You're not gonna go tell daddy about this are you?"

I scoffed. Please, he knew the answer to that one. Just because my dad was a cop, there was not way I was going to become some narc, tattling on all my peers. I'd like to make it out of high school alive, thank you very much.

"Nah," Jasper answered for me, reaching out to ruffle my hair, "Bella's not like that." He smiled before turning back towards the path. "I gotta go get back to the party. See you guys in there!" He called over his shoulder. I found it slightly odd he didn't make any comment about me being out here all alone with the infamous Edward Cullen, but I chalked it up to him just being eager to get stoned. I knew for a fact that Alice had seriously been limiting his weed intake lately.

"Well, I best be on my way," Edward said, turning and walking off in the opposite direction of the party towards the high fence that marked the edge of the Hales' property and began climbing over it.

"Where are you going?" I asked against my better judgment. I wasn't sure I even really wanted to know the answer to that one.

"Got places to be and things do, Isabella."

"It's Bella!" I raised my voice, seriously starting to get annoyed with all this 'Isabella' crap. Nobody called me that except my eighty year old grandmother.

Edward looking back over at me just as he was about to hop over the fence. "Sure, it is, Isabella. Sure it is." He sent me a smirk that for some reason made my insides start fluttering and my skin feel all tingly before jumping down off the fence on the other side, disappearing completely from my view.

And although I may not have realized it at the time, that was the exact moment that Edward Cullen entered my world and began to turn it upside down.


End file.
